Yeah, them too. James Earl Jones did already have a body of work to his credit by '77, though not (for example) enough to be knighted. Yeah, I think when someone in the cast needs to be addressed as "sir," that counts as having a first-rank name actor.

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."

Ah, I understand you now. Well, so much of Cushing's career was spent with Hammer that his body of work may have been considered to be weighted towards the plebeian or "pulp" by the elite. Lee started out quite the same. I don't expect that there are many people addressed as "sir" or "dame" who won their fame playing in mummy or werewolf films.

"We've been over this. We don't shoot first and ask questions later.""Of course! We never ask questions."

Mikey wrote:Have you ever had a chance to see him as the Doctor? I haven't seen the films, but I'd love to.

It's a curious take on it, actually. As a character, he's very much the eccentric scientist type... very mild mannered, smart but a bit ditzy. Although he does occasionally use pretty blatant manipulation to get what he wants.

It's odd mostly because the films he's in are something of a reinvention. Some fairly important aspects of the backstory are changed completely.

Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...